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Cupertino Union School District elections (2016)
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Two of the five seats on the Cupertino Union School District Board of Education were up for at-large general election on November 8, 2016. In their bids for re-election, incumbents Josephine Lucey and Phyllis Vogel ran against challengers Gregory Anderson and Liang-Fang Chao. Vogel won re-election to the board, and Chao won the other seat on the ballot.[1][2]
The two years leading up the 2016 election was marked by tension among teachers, administrators, and parents in the Cupertino Union School District. Conflict began when the entire staff of the District's West Valley Elementary school was transferred after the 2014-2015 school year and continued to escalate when a teacher housing plan was opposed by community members. Parents called for the resignation of Superintendent Wendy Gudalewicz on more than one occasion and in April 2016 collected more than 1,000 signatures on a petition of no confidence in her leadership. School board members did not escape criticism. Some parents called for members to be replaced at a school board meeting in August 2015.
- See also: Issues in the district
Newcomers took fewer seats in 2016 compared to the district's 2014 election, when two new members were elected to the board. Click here to see how else this race compared to past elections in both the district and the state.
Elections
Voter and candidate information
The Cupertino Union Board of Education consists of five members elected to four-year terms. Elections are held at large on a staggered basis every November of even-numbered years. Three seats were up for election on November 4, 2014, and two seats were up for election on November 8, 2016. There was no primary election.[3]
To get on the ballot, school board candidates had to register with the county elections office by August 12, 2016. If incumbents did not file by that deadline, the filing deadline was extended for non-incumbent candidates until August 17, 2016. In order to qualify as candidates, they had to be at least 18 years old, citizens of California, residents of the school district, registered voters, and "not legally disqualified from holding civil office," according to the bylaws of the Cupertino Union Board of Education. Once they took office, school board members could not be employed by the school district.[4][5]
To vote in this election, residents of the school district had to register by October 24, 2016.[6] Photo identification was not required to vote in this election.[7]
Candidates and results
At-large
Results
| Cupertino Union School District, At-large General Election, 4-year terms, 2016 |
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| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Liang-Fang Chao |
29.06% | 22,478 |
| Phyllis Vogel Incumbent |
24.98% | 19,320 |
| Gregory Anderson | 24.70% | 19,102 |
| Josephine Lucey Incumbent | 21.26% | 16,441 |
| Total Votes | 77,341 | |
| Source: Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters, "Official Final Results," accessed December 7, 2016 | ||
Candidates
| Josephine Lucey | Phyllis Vogel 
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| Gregory Anderson | Liang-Fang Chao
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Additional elections on the ballot
- See also: California elections, 2016
The district's school board election shared the ballot with two bond measures for the city of Cupertino, a bond measure for Santa Clara County, a number of statewide ballot measures, and elections for the following offices:[8][9]
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Key deadlines
The following dates were key deadlines for California school board elections in 2016:[10][11]
| Deadline | Event |
|---|---|
| August 1, 2016 | Semi-annual campaign finance report due |
| August 10, 2016 - November 8, 2016 | 24-hour campaign contribution reporting period |
| August 12, 2016 | Candidate filing deadline |
| August 17, 2016 | Extended filing deadline for non-incumbent candidates for open seats |
| September 29, 2016 | First pre-election campaign finance report due |
| October 24, 2016 | Voter registration deadline |
| October 27, 2016 | Second pre-election campaign finance report due |
| November 8, 2016 | Election Day |
| January 31, 2017 | Semi-annual campaign finance report due |
Endorsements
Challengers Gregory Anderson and Liang-Fang Chao were endorsed by the Cupertino Education Association and by Santa Clara County Board of Education member Joseph Di Salvo.[12] Anderson and Chao also endorsed each other in the election.[13][14]
Anderson was further endorsed by Santa Clara County Assessor Larry Stone, Redwood City Council member Alicia C. Aguirre, and Saratoga Mayor Manny Capello.[13] Chao received additional endorsements from the community group BetterCupertino and California State Assembly member Kansen Chu (D-25).[14]
Do you know of an official or organization that endorsed a candidate in this race? Let Ballotpedia know by email at editor@ballotpedia.org.
Campaign finance
Candidates in this race were required to file two pre-election reports. The first was due on September 29, 2016, and the second was due on October 27, 2016. If candidates received more than $1,000 from a single source between August 10, 2016, and November 8, 2016, they had to file a campaign finance report within 24 hours of receiving the contribution.[11]
Candidates who did not raise or spend more than $2,000 on their campaigns had to file an exemption form by September 29, 2016. They did not have to file additional campaign finance reports.[11]
Candidates who had a remaining balance from previous campaigns or who had raised or spent money on their campaigns prior to the candidate filing deadline had to file a semi-annual campaign finance report by August 1, 2016. The next semi-annual campaign finance report was due January 31, 2017.[11]
Reports
Candidates received a total of $89,931.07 and spent a total of $83,927.72 in the election, according to the Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters.[15]
| Candidate | Contributions | Expenditures | Cash on hand |
|---|---|---|---|
| Josephine Lucey | $28,514.22 | $28,514.22 | $0.00 |
| Phyllis Vogel | $4,000.00 | $2,324.30 | $1,675.70 |
| Gregory Anderson | $28,710.00 | $26,519.78 | $2,190.22 |
| Liang-Fang Chao | $28,706.55 | $26,569.42 | $2,137.13 |
Past elections
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2014
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What was at stake?
2016
Election trends
- See also: School board elections, 2014
The 2016 school board election for the Cupertino Union School District had the potential to add two new members to the board, but the two challengers running in the election had to defeat both incumbents who ran to retain their seats. One new member was able to do so to win election to the board, and one incumbent won election to an additional term. The district's 2014 election saw newcomers take two of the three seats on the ballot. One incumbent ran for re-election that year and successfully won another term.
| School board election trends | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Candidates per seat | Unopposed seats | Incumbent success rate | Seats won by newcomers | |
| Cupertino Union School District | |||||
| 2016 | 2.00 | 0.00% | 50.00% | 50.00% | |
| 2014 | 1.33 | 0.00% | 100.00% | 66.66% | |
| California | |||||
| 2014 | 1.91 | 25.18% | 79.00% | 38.14% | |
| United States | |||||
| 2014 | 1.89 | 32.57% | 81.31% | 38.24% | |
Issues in the district
District cancels teacher housing project
In December 2015, Cupertino Union Superintendent Wendy Gudalewicz announced the district's plan to pursue an affordable housing project for teachers. The plan was to build subsidized housing for district teachers on the district's former Luther School site, which had been leased out for 30 years. The plan was opposed by members of the community, however, and on May 24, 2016, the school board unanimously voted to discontinue the project.[16][17]
A group called Save Luther School and Park held a rally in opposition to the teacher housing plan in February 2016. The group argued that the district had not conducted a study to "assess the true needs" and said that there was no evidence that "temporary teacher housing results in long-term teacher retention.” The group cautioned the district from changing the Luther School site in case of future enrollment growth.[16]
The Save Luther School and Park group also admonished the school board for lack of transparency. They said the Luther School community had not been informed of the plan prior to the proposal in December 2015, though district administrators had conducted property negotiations as early as October 2015.[16]
Some opposed to the teacher housing plan related it to the district's handling of the transfer of the entire West Valley Elementary School staff in June 2015. “This is exactly what they did with West Valley. Outside of the public’s view, they made a decision and then they executed that decision. By the time that they made the decision public, we couldn’t stop the train,” said Teresa Phillips, a district parent.[16]
Cupertino Education Association President Dave Villafana said the union supported the housing plan idea, but encouraged the district to do more. “Today, CUSD can work on retaining and respecting our teachers by committing to providing them with a healthy raise–a raise that shows all CUSD employees are honored and respected for the work they do on behalf of Cupertino students,” said Villafana.[16]
The board voted to discontinue the teacher housing plan after rallies were held by parents in opposition to the plan and a petition declaring no confidence in Superintendent Gudalewicz gathered more than 1,000 signatures in April 2016.[17][18]
“We need more transparency, we need decisions to be careful and thought out and engaging of parents, and principals and teachers," said Gregory Anderson, a CUSD parent and 2016 school board candidate. “Instead, what we’re getting is stone wall, undermining marginalization, which will ultimately end up in destroying this community.”[18]
The board cited "tensions among employees, parents and community members” as reasons to cancel the plan. Board members also said the plan had distracted from the district's "primary mission of providing all students in the Cupertino Union School District with a quality education.”[17]
Gudalewicz said the district would pursue other ways to retain teachers. "We just did a 5 percent pay increase when landlords are raising rent 8 percent,” she said. “How do we keep pace with them?"[17]
District transfers entire school staff
At the end of the 2014-2015 school year, the entire staff of the West Valley Elementary School was told they would be transferred to different locations within the district. The announcement came after a year of tension among the teachers, the principal, and the school's parent teacher organization (PTO), but it came as a painful shock to many members of the staff, according to The Mercury News.[19]
Cupertino Union Superintendent Wendy Gudalewicz said the makeover of the school was necessary due to “tension” and “school culture,” but, citing employee privacy laws, she refused to elaborate on the reasons behind the transfer of the district's entire staff, from teachers and the principal to janitors and food service workers. In response to the transfers, Craig McPherson, a West Valley parent, organized a petition against the decision, which garnered 1,200 signatures.[19]
Tension in the school first started when parents and teachers called for a new principal. In August 2014, the district gave them Theresa Johnson, a principal many teachers found "abrasive," according to The Mercury News.[19]
“We asked for a collaborative leader,” said Kathy White, a former kindergarten teacher at West Valley. “What we got was a leader who did not seem to value our collective experience and input.” Other teachers said she made decisions without talking to them, met with parents about issues before staff, and breached confidentiality.[19]
West Valley PTO President Debby Hall, however, said Johnson “did a great job.” Hall said Johnson “brought to light issues that others had covered up.”[19]
In May 2015, Gudalewicz declared West Valley a “hostile work environment.” Along with the declaration came a directive banning "taunts, sarcasm, gossip, glaring, staring, 'the silent treatment,' name-calling, and the exclusion of some teachers from meetings, emails and plans for any demonstration," according to The Mercury News. Though teachers were taken to an all-day facilitated session in June 2015 to help air grievances and start anew, plans for the school changed later that month.[19]
Gudalewicz initially announced that Johnson would be transferred and that all of the school's teachers and aides would have to reapply for their jobs. Employee unions stepped in with a cease-and-desist order due to a violation with their collective bargaining agreement. The district followed the cease-an-desist order until district and union officials could meet. At their meeting, union officials prohibited the district from interviewing teachers for the positions they previously held and insisted the district not single out any teachers. Instead of having the teachers reapply and transferring a portion of them, the district had all staff from the school transferred.[19][20]
The lack of information surrounding the transfer caused many to voice their anger and disappointment at the decision at a school board meeting on August 18, 2015. “We have heard the perspective from the parents, from the board, from the principal. Here is our perspective: We do not understand what we did wrong, and we have never been given an explanation. And we have tried our best to let it go. What was done to us was by no means fair or just,” said Rina Matthalikunnel, a former West Valley teacher.[21]
Some parents at the meeting called for Gudalewicz to step down and for the school board members to be replaced. “Effective school boards are said to conduct their business openly, honestly and in the best interest of the communities which they serve,” said Theresa Phillips, a West Valley parent. “The decision to reconstitute West Valley was anything but collaborative, transparent and honest. The teachers did not fail our community; our leaders failed our community. The trust that we have placed in our elected officials and administration have been severely breached.”[21]
The school board responded in September 2015 by unanimously voting to support Gudalewicz's “difficult” decision. In a resolution, the board said that the district had tried to intervene and address problems at the school prior to the decision to transfer all staff.[22]
“When all teachers are removed, it is not a failure of the teachers, it’s a failure of the management. This should have never happened and it is all our responsibilities to take steps to make sure it never happens again,” said Robert Sloan, a former West Valley parent. He called for Gudalewicz's resignation at the same meeting in which the board voted to support her.[22]
Also at the meeting, West Valley parent Jay Welshelfer voiced his support of the transfer. He called West Valley the "sort of the place where principals went to die.” He said, "I’m happy with the changes, my kids are happy, they have teachers that are quite engaged and passionate and enthusiastic.”[22]
Other parents called for the school board to review the district's policy that allowed Gudalewicz to authorize the transfer. They also called for the school board to ask for public input for any future mass transfers.[22]
Phyllis Vogel, board president at the time of the meeting, said she did not think the policy needed to be changed. “I agree that the transfer and assignment of personnel should be the responsibility of the superintendent. The superintendent serves at the pleasure of the board and if she mismanages the district, the board has alternatives and can take action,” said Vogel, who won her re-election bid in 2016. "In the case of West Valley, I believe she made a thoughtful, responsible decision to create a healthy emotional environment for students and staff.”[22]
Cupertino Education Association President Dave Villafana cautioned the district's administration from making similar decisions in the future. “You had a right to reinvent West Valley Elementary School, but it was not the right thing to do. The right thing to do would have been to pull all the stakeholders together and have true mediation.”[22]
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About the district
The Cupertino Union School District is located in Santa Clara County in central California. The county seat is San Jose. Santa Clara County was home to an estimated 1,918,044 residents between 2010 and 2015, according to the United States Census Bureau.[23] The district was the 83rd-largest school district in the state in the 2013–2014 school year and served 19,194 students.[24]
Demographics
Santa Clara County outperformed California as a whole in terms of higher education achievement between 2010 and 2014. The United States Census Bureau found that 47.3 percent of county residents aged 25 years and older had attained a bachelor's degree, compared to 31 percent of state residents. The median household income for Santa Clara County was $93,854, compared to $61,489 for the entire state. The percentage of people in poverty in the county was 8.5 percent, compared to 16.4 percent statewide.[23]
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Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms 'Cupertino Union School District' 'California'. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
| Cupertino Union School District | California | School Boards |
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External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters, "Contest/Candidate Proof List," accessed August 17, 2016
- ↑ Santa Clara County, "November 8, 2016 Presidential General Election Summary," accessed November 9, 2016
- ↑ Cupertino Union School District, "Board of Education," accessed July 6, 2016
- ↑ Cupertino Union School District, "Board Bylaws BB 9220: Governing Board Elections," accessed July 6, 2016
- ↑ California Elections Code, “Part 5, Section 10600-10604: School District And Community College District Governing Board Elections,” accessed June 15, 2016
- ↑ California Secretary of State, "Voter Registration," accessed June 13, 2016
- ↑ California Secretary of State, "California Online Voter Registration," accessed June 13, 2016
- ↑ Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters, "List of Local Measures: Presidential General Election November 8, 2016," accessed September 26, 2016
- ↑ Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters, "Contest/Candidate Proof List: Presidential General Election," accessed September 26, 2016
- ↑ California Secretary of State, "November 8, 2016, General Election Calendar," accessed July 27, 2016
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 California Fair Political Practices Commission, "Filing Schedule for Candidates and Controlled Committees for Local Office Being Voted on November 8, 2016," accessed July 27, 2016
- ↑ Abbey Smith, “Email communication with Kai Brown, President of the Cupertino Education Association," September 16, 2016
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 Gregory Anderson for CUSD Board, "Endorsements," accessed September 27, 2016
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 Liang Chao for Cupertino Union School District Board, "Supporters and Endorsements," accessed September 27, 2016
- ↑ Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters, "County of Santa Clara Public Portal for Campaign Finance Disclosure," accessed February 15, 2017
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 16.3 16.4 The Mercury News, "Resident group opposes Cupertino Union’s teacher housing project," February 24, 2016
- ↑ 17.0 17.1 17.2 17.3 The Mercury News, "Cupertino Union cancels teacher housing project," June 9, 2016
- ↑ 18.0 18.1 NBC Bay Area, "'We Need More Transparency': Parents Call for Resignation of Cupertino Union School District Superintendent," April 21, 2016
- ↑ 19.0 19.1 19.2 19.3 19.4 19.5 19.6 The Mercury News, "Sunnyvale: Even the lunch lady is new after bizarre housecleaning at West Valley Elementary," August 8, 2015
- ↑ CUSD in Crisis, "Finalization of MOU and Notice to Teachers," accessed October 17, 2016
- ↑ 21.0 21.1 The Mercury News, "Sunnyvale: Former West Valley Elementary teachers speak out, shed tears at board meeting," August 19, 2016
- ↑ 22.0 22.1 22.2 22.3 22.4 22.5 The Mercury News, "Cupertino Union’s school board stands behind superintendent on West Valley Elementary shakeup," September 16, 2015
- ↑ 23.0 23.1 23.2 United States Census Bureau, "Santa Clara County, California," accessed June 14, 2016
- ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "ELSI Table Generator," accessed November 16, 2015
- ↑ Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters, "Past Election Results," accessed July 3, 2014
| 2016 Cupertino Union School District Elections | |
| Santa Clara County, California | |
| Election date: | November 8, 2016 |
| Candidates: | At-large: • Incumbent, Josephine Lucey • Incumbent, Phyllis Vogel • Gregory Anderson • Liang-Fang Chao |
| Important information: | What was at stake? • Additional elections on the ballot • Key deadlines |
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